More than half of town halls admit using anti-terror laws to spy on families suspected of putting their rubbish out on the wrong day.

Their tactics include putting secret cameras in tin cans, on lamp posts and even in the homes of 'friendly' residents.

The local authorities admitted that one of their main aims was to catch householders who put their bins out early.The shocking way in which the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act - an anti-terror law - is being used was revealed through freedom of information requests made by the Daily Mail.

MPs and civil liberties groups last night accused councils of using the draconian powers for trivial reasons.

Shami Chakrabarti of Liberty said: 'Snooping appears to have become the favourite pastime in town halls up and down the land.

'Common sense has gone out of the window and instead of putting out more bins, councils spy on householders as if they were terrorists.'

Tory communities spokesman Eric Pickles said: 'Under Labour, the rights and liberties of law-abiding citizens are being eroded through plans for ID cards, sinister microchip spies in bins and abuse of anti-terror laws by councils.

'Taxpayers' money is being wasted on bankrolling an army of municipal bureaucrats who have watched too many episodes of Spooks.'

The Mail requested information from all of the 474 councils in England. Of the 151 which replied, some 77 - more than half - said they had used the legislation in the last three years for suspected 'domestic waste, littering or fly-tipping offences'.

Although it is ostensibly an anti-terror law, the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, or RIPA, is worded so loosely that it can be used to justify surveillance operations for a variety of reasons.graphic

These include spying to 'protect public health' or the 'economic well-being of the UK'.

This means that councils can use the powers granted by the Act to monitor families' treatment of household waste.

In Lincolnshire, West Lindsey District Council uses the new powers to place motion-activated cameras on lamp posts to catch homeowners putting their bins out at the wrong time.

One officer told an undercover reporter: 'In some areas, particularly where there is terraced housing, we have a problem with people putting their black rubbish bags out three or four days early.

'When they have been left in alleyways or at the rear of terraced properties, it is difficult to identify exactly who has placed them there.

'The cameras are hidden in tin cans or put on lamp posts and allow us to monitor who is coming out of which property and leaving their rubbish. Sometimes we are able to put these cameras inside peoples' homes that overlook the alleyways.

Shami Chakrabarti

Shami Chakrabarti: 'Snooping appears to have become the favourite pastime in town halls up and down the land'

'These are usually residents who have complained to us about rubbish being dumped outside their house on the wrong day.'

The council said it had been able to hand out 'several' fixed penalty notices on the basis of the evidence it had obtained.

Officers at Southwark District Council also admitted that they had mounted cameras on lamp posts to spy on residents suspected of leaving rubbish out at the wrong time.

The revelations have raised fresh concerns about the Home Office's plans to create a 'Big Brother' database of every citizen's e-mail and internet records.

Ministers say that councils will not have access to the information.

But critics point out that RIPA, which was passed as anti-terror legislation, is now being routinely used by town halls - and the same could happen with the database.

Phil Booth, of the NO2ID campaign, said that public bodies were 'assembling the tools of a totalitarian state'.

He added: 'We are no longer living in what most would recognise as a free society. This is not justifiable or proportionate.'

Mark Wallace, of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: 'It is crazy that so many councils are using anti-terror legislation to spy on their residents. It must cost a huge amount for all these concealed cameras, just to give a few people relatively low-level fines.'

Other local authorities which gave details of how they used RIPA included Lewes District Council in East Sussex.

It admitted that the Act was used to gain evidence on residents who persistently left rubbish out at the wrong time.

South Bedfordshire council also admitted going through phone bills inside rubbish bags to identify who had left them outside.

Officers also electronically tagged certain types of rubbish to find out if they had been dumped illegally.

Wycombe District council in Buckinghamshire put an electronic tag on rubbish left outside a shop to see if it was taken.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association, which represents councils, said: 'The LGA has written to councils to say that surveillance should not be undertaken unless it is absolutely necessary and proportionate to the crime that's being investigated.

'Councils have a duty to protect their residents and are tuned in to the worries people might have about surveillance.

'These powers are essential in making sure that benefits cheats, fly-tippers, rogue traders and other serious criminals are caught and brought to justice.'

In windows across Britain tonight, ghoulish faces, carved from pumpkins and illuminated by candles, will stare out eerily at passers-by.

But while most are no more than two eyes and a toothy grin, Scott Cummins and Ray Villafane have taken their pumpkin heads to a whole new level - as these extraordinary pictures show.

In just an hour or two of carving, slicing and gouging, and using everything from spoons and scalpels to garden spades, these incredible pumpkin Picassos can transform a humble Halloween gourd into a spitting image of Barack Obama or a Star Wars stormtrooper. Using his background in high art and his work in designing models for D.C and Marvel comics, Ray, 39, has sculpted intricate faces out of the common pumpkin that make your hair stand on end.

Based in the rural Michigan town of Ballaire, Ray's pumpkins have become something of an internet sensation, and include some familiar faces.

His carvings, which include 'The Predator' and Barack Obama, also take in a wide variety of gothic gargoyles in keeping with the devilish theme of the popular American holiday.

Using only common clay carving tools to create his Halloween pumpkin masterpieces, Ray explains how his artistic method works.'Not all pumpkins will look good and the most important thing about a pumpkin is it weight. You need to pick the meatiest pumpkin.

'Sometimes I pick up a beautifully shaped pumpkin but when I pick it up I realise that it is not heavy enough. Its wall is just not thick enough for the carving rigours.

'I also like a pumpkin with character. One with nobly ridges is good, so that I can utilise that in the carving procedure, like with sculpting noses,' says Ray.

'The sculpting has always been a passion,' says Ray.

'I used to be an art teacher for 13 years at a Michigan School called Bellaire school and one day I was approached for Halloween to do some pumpkin carving.

'I thought why don't I try and carve the pumpkin like it is a piece of clay as opposed to a large vegetable.'It came out alright, but the most important result was that the kids at the school absolutely loved it.

'I used to arrive at school and there would be a dozen pumpkins just sitting there waiting for me at my classroom,' explains the pumpkin carver.

At the beginning Ray didn't always get the results he was looking for, resulting in a few fists through the front of the pumpkins.

However, working for D.C comics, the home of Superman and Batman, Ray has honed his incredible seasonal talent.'Recently I have been really sitting down and giving my Halloween pumpkin designs more thought than usual due to the increased interest in my carvings.

'Now that the thing has grown in popularity I am definitely feeling the pressure to deliver on the pumpkin front.

'The most intricate pumpkin model that I have designed is 'The Predator' model, which took the best part of a day. Otherwise, the models take a couple of hours,' says Ray.

Over the last two Halloween's Ray's pumpkins have begun to appear in online blogs and have really raised his profile.He has even made national television appearances and has been scheduled to appear on the US sports network ESPN where he is supposed to unveil his Barack Obama carving.

Obviously, carving a potential president is a serious pressure, so Ray has to ensure that he gets it right.

'If it is someone like Obama or even the Predator then I will have to use five or six images to make sure that I get the right details.'If it is something that I am creating myself then I will do it off the top of my head, like the skull and gargoyles,' says Ray.

Around this time pumpkin carvings are usually a couple of triangles cut on the outside of the flesh, with his carvings Ray has seriously raised the bar to frightening levels.

This X-ray picture shows who a man who was shot in the head by a robber survived because the bullet lodged in his nose.

Daniel Greenwood 'couldn't believe he was still alive' after the shooting at a house in Wythenshawe, Manchester.Doctors were able to remove the bullet but Mr Greenwood says he still suffers flashbacks, sleeplessness and headaches.

He was shot while struggling with David Cummins who had tried to snatch a gold chain from around his neck.

The pair were at the house with other people when the incident took place, Manchester Crown Court heard.

Andrew MacIntosh, prosecuting, said Cummins, 21, had shown the others the 9mm handgun, which he put on a worktop before trying to grab Mr Greenwood's chain.Mr MacIntosh said Cummins was hit on the head with a claw hammer and then he and Mr Greenwood grabbed for the gun, which went off.

The bullet hit Mr Greenwood in the face and lodged in his nose. Cummins, of Longlevens Road, Woodhouse Park, was given an indeterminate prison sentence after he admitted possessing the gun and robbery.

The prosecution accepted he had not deliberately shot his victim, and that the gun went off during the struggle.But judge Mr Justice MacDuff told Cummins he must serve at least three and a half years before he could be considered for parole, adding: 'It was by good fortune he [Mr Greenwood] was not more seriously injured than he was.'

Cummins, who had a string of previous convictions for robbery, fled Wythenshawe after the shooting.

He was arrested by armed police in a hotel in Blackpool three days later. The gun still loaded was found in a sock.

Forget your run-of-the-mill Halloween pumpkin carvings, these incredible designs by American sculptor Ray Villafane have taken the annual ghoul-fest tradition to a different artistic level.

Using his background in high art and his work in designing models for D.C and Marvel comics, Ray, 39, has sculpted intricate faces out of the common pumpkin that make your hair stand on end.

Based in the rural Michigan town of Ballaire, Ray's pumpkins have become something of an internet sensation, and include some familiar faces.His carvings, which include 'The Predator' and Barack Obama, also take in a wide variety of gothic gargoyles in keeping with the devilish theme of the popular American holiday.

Using only common clay carving tools to create his Halloween pumpkin masterpieces, Ray explains how his artistic method works.

'Not all pumpkins will look good and the most important thing about a pumpkin is it weight. You need to pick the meatiest pumpkin.

'Sometimes I pick up a beautifully shaped pumpkin but when I pick it up I realise that it is not heavy enough. Its wall is just not thick enough for the carving rigours.

'I also like a pumpkin with character. One with nobly ridges is good, so that I can utilise that in the carving procedure, like with sculpting noses,' says Ray.'The sculpting has always been a passion,' says Ray.

'I used to be an art teacher for 13 years at a Michigan School called Bellaire school and one day I was approached for Halloween to do some pumpkin carving.

'I thought why don't I try and carve the pumpkin like it is a piece of clay as opposed to a large vegetable.

'It came out alright, but the most important result was that the kids at the school absolutely loved it.

'I used to arrive at school and there would be a dozen pumpkins just sitting there waiting for me at my classroom,' explains the pumpkin carver.At the beginning Ray didn't always get the results he was looking for, resulting in a few fists through the front of the pumpkins.

However, working for D.C comics, the home of Superman and Batman, Ray has honed his incredible seasonal talent.

'Recently I have been really sitting down and giving my Halloween pumpkin designs more thought than usual due to the increased interest in my carvings.

'Now that the thing has grown in popularity I am definitely feeling the pressure to deliver on the pumpkin front.

'The most intricate pumpkin model that I have designed is 'The Predator' model, which took the best part of a day. Otherwise, the models take a couple of hours,' says Ray.

Over the last two Halloween's Ray's pumpkins have begun to appear in online blogs and have really raised his profile.He has even made national television appearances and has been scheduled to appear on the US sports network ESPN where he is supposed to unveil his Barack Obama carving.

Obviously, carving a potential president is a serious pressure, so Ray has to ensure that he gets it right.

'If it is someone like Obama or even the Predator then I will have to use five or six images to make sure that I get the right details.

'If it is something that I am creating myself then I will do it off the top of my head, like the skull and gargoyles,' says Ray.

Around this time pumpkin carvings are usually a couple of triangles cut on the outside of the flesh, with his carvings Ray has seriously raised the bar to frightening levels.

It seems unbelievable, but the only thing seriously injured in this crash was the driver's ego.

The young man behind the wheel of this £100,000 Ferrari lost control as he sped through the streets of Adelaide, Australia, and smashed into an electricity pole.

The prang left the engine and bonnet wrapped around the structure.

Incredibly, the driver and his male passenger, who have not been named, received only minor injuries.

The five-year-old black Ferrari 360 Modena crashed a few minutes after residents saw it go past their houses at high speed.

One householder said: 'I was outside my house talking when we heard something fly up towards us and it was this black Ferrari.

'It sounded just like 'zing-zing' as it roared past. I have never seen anything travel as fast as that in my life.

'Those men were lucky to be alive because the pole split the car in two and it's ended up where the gearstick should be.'

The un-named driver and his passenger were taken to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment, but their injuries were said to be not serious.

Pictures of the crashed vehicle resulted in one internet blogger commenting: 'I wonder what action the police will take with an idiot driving a Ferrari.'

Another commentator said: 'We're making a few assumptions here, but when a young guy is driving a Ferrari worth a quarter of a million bucks, and then splits it almost in two, someone's going to be grounded for life.'

At least seven morbidly obese children were taken into care last year by social services.

A boy of six who was seriously overweight, a girl of seven with a Body Mass Index three times higher than normal, and an eight-year-old girl who weighed nine stone, were among those taken from their parentsThey were joined by a boy of 12 from London who had a BMI of 28 to 60 per cent above the 17.5 average for his age.

The figures were released by councils following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Dr Colin Waine, former head of the National Obesity Forum Charity, said more needed to be done to monitor vulnerable children before social services were forced to intervene.

A fish has had a bizarre life-saving operation after developing a hernia.

Carla the 10-inch-long angelfish was laid out on an operating table while a vet and two assistants carried out the unusual surgery.

After being anaesthetised, the exotic fish had a tube placed in her mouth and water pumped through her body and out her gills to enable her to breathe.Vet Sue Thornton repaired the stomach condition usually associated with humans using a scalpel, a needle and forceps during the £500 operation.

After being stitched up and brought round, the plucky fish was kept under close observation before she went on to make a full recovery.

Carla has been a resident at the London Aquarium for 10 years and staff decided to try to save her rather than put her to sleep when she developed the hernia.

James Oliver, deputy curator of the aquarium, said: 'Carla's problems began when this mystery swelling appeared on her side.'Within a couple of days it burst and we feared for her survival when it left a large open wound and her internal organs exposed.'

Although her condition improved following a course of antibiotics, part of her stomach began to squeeze out of the wound.

James added: 'I guess it may seem a bit extreme to operate on a small fish but Carla has been with us for 10 years and she is almost family.

'The last thing we wanted to was to lose her.'

Vet Sue Thornton, of the International Zoo Veterinary Group, was called in to examine Carla and decided it was best to operate.

Carla was transferred to a smaller tank containing water with a carefully measured dose of anaesthetic which knocked her out. She was then placed on an operating table while Sue carried out the 30-minute procedure.

Sue said: 'I must admit I didn't think the prognosis was very promising to begin with.

'As soon as she was asleep we moved her on to the operating surface and fed a tube from the tank into her mouth and kept her breathing by pumping the water over her gills.

'I then stitched the wound together as best I could. It was difficult because the wall tissue was very stiff, but I managed to close it.' After the surgery Carla was moved into clean water and within five minutes she came round.

The vet returned days later to remove the five stitches by which time Carla had returned to the attraction's Caribbean tropical fish display tank.

Sue added: 'I am as thrilled and delighted as James and his colleagues are that Carla is back to her best.'

He was such a special delivery, and such incredibly fragile goods, that the usual sort of wrapping just wouldn't do.

The little mite swaddled in bubble wrap is Gregor Craig, who was born at just 24 weeks weighing a tiny 1lb 14oz - so small that his father's wedding ring fitted over his arm.

His chances of survival were slim, but doctors wanted to give him every chance.So they wrapped him in the bubble wrap to keep him warm. Hospitals often use plastic wrap to help premature babies retain their body heat, but this was the first time the doctors in Kintyre, western Scotland, had used the bubble variety.

Luckily their efforts paid off and five months later he has finally been allowed home with his family in Argyll.

His mother, Martine Craig, 29, said: 'Gregor is one of life's true survivors. We can't believe that we have him home with us after his long fight for survival.

'We just couldn't believe that anything so tiny could possibly survive.'The couple were thrilled when Mrs Craig became pregnant with Gregor as she had suffered a previous miscarriage.

Mrs Craig said: 'We were worried about losing this baby too, but at my ten-week scan I could feel some strong kicks coming from him.'

But then just a week after her 23-week scan Mrs Craig began suffering severe stomach pain. She went to Campbeltown hospital in Kintyre where doctors told her she was suffering from a urinary tract infection. A few hours later, the infection had triggered labour and the doctors couldn't stop it.

But amazingly Gregor survived the birth. Mrs Craig, whose husband Keith, 33, is a bus driver, said: 'I was allowed to see him two hours later when I had recovered from the birth.

'He looked so fragile lying there, but at least he was alive. His nappy came up to his neck and his tiny hand was the size of a penny piece. Doctors only gave Gregor a 10 per cent chance of survival but he kept hanging on.'He was transferred by air ambulance to the Queen Mother Hospital in Glasgow to receive specialist care. After 24 hours, doctors said his chance of survival had increased and, on the fourth day, Mrs Craig was allowed to hold her son for the first time.

She said: 'He felt so light it was just like holding a ball of wool.

'His skin was completely see-through and he was covered in wires and tubes, keeping him alive. But every day that he hung on he gave us more hope.'

At ten weeks he had laser eye surgery to stop him going blind as the blood vessels in his eyes hadn't developed properly.

After 17 weeks in hospital, when Gregor had reached 7lb, he was allowed home. He has to have daily oxygen, and his parents had to learn how to resuscitate him if necessary.

Mrs Craig said: 'He is now a happy six-month-old and incredibly all he seems to have is some slight hearing problems. It's a small price to pay for having him here with us.'

Mondex, a Chihuahua, wears a pirate costume during a Halloween dog show for the benefit of an animal welfare organization in Manila.Amazingly, Mondex actually won the prize for the most creative costume.

The world's heaviest male - known as Half-Tonne Man - has got married, after being taken to the ceremony in his custom-made bed on the back of a flatbed truck.

Mexican Manuel Uribe, 43, wore a white satin shirt and had a sheet wrapped round his legs as he wed his longtime girlfriend, Claudia Solis, in front of 400 guests in a civil ceremony in Monterrey, northern Mexico.The bed - which Uribe hasn't left in six years - was decorated with a canopy, flowers and gold-trimmed bows.

Two police patrol cars escorted him ahead of a long line of traffic.

Uribe tipped the scales in 2006 at 1,230 pounds (560 kilograms), earning him the Guinness Book of World Records' title for the world's heaviest man.

He has since shed about 550 pounds (250 kilograms) with the help of Claudia, whom he met four years ago.He said: 'I am proof that you can find love in any circumstances. It's all a question of faith. All I want is to be happy and to love and be loved. And today is a very special day because of that.'

It took an hour to take Uribe to the ceremony 10 miles away with the efforts of over ten men with two tow-trucks - one a spare - and a police escort at hand. All the time Uribe waving to well-wishers and the many journalists and photographers present.When he arrived at the wedding venue, Club de Leones, it took 20 minutes to lower the tow-truck's ramp over the hall's steps and then rotate his bed before pushing it through the venue's large front doors.

The bride was mobbed by more than 30 photographers when she arrived half an hour later in a black jeep.Happy: Claudia Solis arrives for her wedding

Happy: Claudia Solis arrives for her wedding

She said: 'I'm not nervous. I'm just very happy. It's a very special day for us. We are marrying because we are in love.'

The couple met four years ago when Claudia, 38, visited to tell him that her then-husband, a school friend of Manuel's, had died - due to complications from being morbidly obese.

They grew closer due to their dedication to Christianity and eventually started a romantic relationship, including sex, they say.

After the wedding ceremony there was a huge banquet with three huge cakes - which the groom vowed not to eat, as he is still dieting, in the hope that he will shed enough weight that he can walk again.

The main dish was a chicken with vegetables. Uribe said: 'It is a heavyweight wedding, but low in calories.'

The whole thing was arranged in less than a month when the couple decided they could not wait to wed. Friends, local politicians and sponsors donated money to help pay.

They contain no artificial sweeteners, colours, or preservatives and their natural 'health boosting' claims entice millions worldwide to spend an incredible £2.8billion on these drinks a year. But what health benefits - if any - do they really have?

'Drinking "natural" is a lifestyle choice because too often we assume artificial ingredients are bad for us,' says nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton.

'Although there are lots of scare stories about artificial additives, E numbers have been tested rigorously by the European Union and put on an approved list. Health drinks are mainly water and many products don't contain enough of an active ingredient to make a difference to you,' she adds.

Verdict: Caffeine from the coffee beans and cocoa is a stimulant and in moderate amounts it makes you more alert, improves cognitive functions and sports performance. Safe limits are 300mg to 500mg a day - after that you may have sleep problems. But this has a tiny amount of caffeine, almost negligible.

It's interesting that coca leaf - another stimulant - is in there because it is classed as a drug in the US (but not in the UK) thanks to its link with cocaine. Cardamon and mace don't add to the stimulant effect, they are simply for flavour.

The Chinese root ginseng - which is less active than the Siberian form - is thought to reduce stress. But is there enough here? You need between 0.3g and 2g a day of ginseng to have any effect on stress. Folacin is good for women who are planning to get pregnant, but the rest is all fluff. There might be a study on a mouse somewhere to say bayberry bark is good for you, but it doesn't mean it's any good for humans.

Garlic is good for the heart, but I doubt there's enough in here to have an effect. As for powdered spirulina, chlorella, blue green algae etc, these things may have benefits but there's no evidence on humans. In 2010, when new health regulations come in, this drink will not be allowed to say it contains a 'superfood' unless it has an approved health claim.

Firefly - All Natural, £1.49

Ingredients: Still water, fruit juices from concentrate (white grape, grapefruit, orange, passion fruit), apple juice extract, botanical extracts 1pc (yerba mate, Siberian ginseng, cardamom, guarana, rosemary, Chinese wolfberry), natural flavourings. Verdict: There is evidence that yerba mate and guarana are linked to weight management. Guarana is also a natural source of caffeine and ginseng is believed to lower physical and mental stress. Chinese wolfberry (aka goji berry) is an approved ingredient in the EU but some people could be adversely affected by it. Two case reports described elderly women who experienced increased susceptibility to haemorrhaging. It's wise to avoid anything used in Chinese medicine if you have any underlying conditions or are pregnant.

Verdict: Good to see this has the prebiotic inulin - this helps stimulate good bacteria in your body and it also helps you to absorb calcium and magnesium. You need 2g-5g for it to be of any benefit but we don't know how much is in this drink. I'm doubtful there is enough fish oil. You need 5ml to 10ml a day, which would surely affect the taste in such a small bottle.

The label says it contains your 100 per cent recommended daily amount of all the vitamins apart from Vitamin A, which is sensible as too much Vitamin A is not good for pregnant-women.

Verdict: I can't find anything that will help the skin apart from Vitamin C, which is an antioxidant. I have found no clinical evidence that lime flower or rose petal have any benefits for the skin. And at £1.29 for 500ml you'd be better off eating an orange.